Anderson survives supercar crash in Portugal

Manchester United midfielder Anderson narrowly avoided death when he was dragged unconscious from the burning wreckage of a crashed supercar in which he had been travelling, seconds before it exploded.

The midfielder was heading home after a night at the Sardinha Biba nightclub in Portugal, when the £125,000 Audi R8 came off the road and hit the wall of a farm before flying into a field.

Witnesses reported that the Brazilian playmaker was pulled "lifeless" from the vehicle shortly before it exploded and owed his life to the rescuers who dragged him clear.

Although the Audi was only a two-seater, there were three people in the car when it crashed – a friend whose name was only given as Victor, and a young Brazilian woman whose details have not been released. It is not yet known who was driving, but there are reports that Anderson could face a drink-driving charge and a possible offence of allegedly having excess passengers.

Despite the severity of the incident, all three were discharged from St Mark's hospital hours after being admitted, and were treated only for concussion, whiplash and shock. "They only had minor injuries," Roman Fresco, a hospital spokesman said. The Brazilian woman is believed to have come off worse than the other two however.

Anderson's agents, the Gistifute agency, were quoted by the Portuguese press as saying that the former Porto player had suffered an "almighty scare" but would be returning to Manchester to continue his rehabilitation.

If the Brazilian is found to have been driving while under the influence of alcohol he will inevitably face the wrath of United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. He was meant to be recovering from the cruciate ligament injury that kept him from participating in the World Cup, and the Scot is known to give short shrift to footballers who lead party lifestyles.

It won't be the first time that Anderson has crossed Ferguson. Their relationship became strained last season, and Anderson was reputedly fined two week's wages in January when he returned to Brazil without permission after an argument with the manager.

The midfielder, who has only scored once for United in three years, was singled out for criticism after United's 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final. After their argument he was omitted from the first team for a month and it was in his comeback match, against West Ham, that he sustained his current injury.

Anderson joins his friend and former United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo in having written off a high-powered super car. The Portuguese winger totalled a £200,000 Ferrari when he crashed into a roadside barrier in a tunnel near Manchester airport in January 2009. ·